


Something Left Unsaid

by AshWinterGray



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Abuse, Attempted Murder, Cats, Child Abuse, Damian Wayne Hates Tim Drake, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Issues, Jealousy, Lies, Manipulation, Misunderstandings, Past Abuse, Past Violence, Secrets, Self-Esteem Issues, Social Issues, Talking, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Tim Drake and Damian Wayne Fight, Tim Drake-centric, Verbal Abuse, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26640637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshWinterGray/pseuds/AshWinterGray
Summary: For whatever reason, Bruce has declared "mandatory dinners". Tim doesn't mind them so much because he can talk with Jason outside the mask and catch up with Cass and Duke, but he could do without Damian throwing jabs at him.Of course, things just have to go wrong, and Damian reveals a secret Tim has been trying to hide since the events happened. Tim just wants the ground to swallow him whole.
Relationships: Bart Allen & Tim Drake & Kon-El | Conner Kent & Cassie Sandsmark, Bruce Wayne & Clark Kent, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd & Cassandra Cain
Comments: 107
Kudos: 635





	1. Chapter 1

It was one of those ‘mandatory’ family dinners that Bruce had suddenly started insisting on. No one was truly sure why they were suddenly a thing, but Bruce would randomly, out of the blue, summon all of them home to have dinner together. It was rare that any of them stay past dinner, but Bruce never pressed beyond just having everyone together for a meal. The last one had been three months ago, and though it hadn’t been awful, it hadn’t been the best. Damian had been making jabs the entire night, and Tim wasn’t really looking forward to that again.

But at the same time, the dinners had been a blessing. Tim considered Cass to be his best friend in the family (the Young Justice were obviously ranked number 1 on that list). The problem was, Cass spent most of her time with the Outsiders. These mandatory dinners were some of the only chances he had to catch up with Cass and Duke before they disappeared all over again.

Not to mention Jason. Yes, Jason had tried to kill him, several times, but a small part of Tim had always admired Jason because of his Robin days. After the events with the Court of Owls and the We Are Robins, Tim and Jason had struck an odd sort of friendship. After the disbanding of the Outlaws, Artemis had come to visit Cassie to tell her of her adventures. Whatever Artemis had told Cassie had clearly struck some sort of cord with Tim’s best (female) friend, and he found himself pleasantly surprised when Cassie defended Jason when the Young Justice crossed paths with him.

Unfortunately, it was another family dinner, and Tim found himself seated at the end of the table. Cass was next to him, and he was chatting happily with her, but Damian was directly across from Tim, shooting insults that Tim was rather glad Cass was distracting him from.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand your mom,” Tim stated to Cass as she finished telling her story about her recent trip with the Outsiders to stop Ra’s al Ghul. “And I trained with her. One moment she wants you dead, and the next she acts like you’re the greatest thing on Earth.”

“Like you would know, Drake.”

“She only cares about my skill,” Cass huffed, making a face that made Tim chuckle. “What I can do for her.”

“That must be rather familiar to you.”

“At least you stopped the end of the world,” Tim joked, ignoring Damian’s jab. “And Duke mentioned something about someone named Anissa~”

Cass flushed. “No.”

“Oh? Are you hiding something, sister dear~?”

Cass stuck her tongue out at him.

“Secrets are something you pride yourself on, aren’t they, Drake?” and there was something different about this jab. Something that sent red flags through Tim’s head. “After all, you kept many secrets while Father was gone. It’s only a _pity_ you caught yourself when I cut your line.”

The entire room got deathly quiet as Damian glared. As if he hadn’t yet realized he had broadcasted that tidbit of information to the whole table. To the _entire_ family. Cass was staring at Tim in horror, clearly seeing the truth in both Damian’s words and Tim’s body language.

This was not how Tim wanted the family to find out. Okay. Technically, Tim would have been alright if his family _never_ found out.

“What did you just say?”

The entire table whipped their heads to Jason, still in shock by the statement that slipped from Damian’s mouth.

“We all think it,” Damian brushed off. “Drake has been keeping secrets from this family. Perhaps longer than when Father was gone. He had a secret hit-list for heroes in his files, and who knows what else he has.”

“Wait. Wait,” Dick held up his hands before Damian could continue. “You _actually_ cut his line.”

“Of course, Richard,” again, Damian was far too nonchalant for the situation, as if he hadn’t realized what he was saying. “He’s worked with grandfather, or have you forgotten? And the time I cut his line was after I discovered his little list. You caught us fighting, Richard, do you not recall?”

“What the heck?” Duke breathed.

“Father has admitted that Drake is a danger,” Damian continued on. “Does no one recall the time he nearly killed Captain Boomerang? And Richard was going to make Drake retire and visit a therapist in Metropolis, though I think Arkham would be far better suited for someone like him. Not to mention the time Brown hired mercenaries to attack Drake on Father’s orders. It is quite clear that Drake is more of a threat than Todd. I am only ashamed that my actions did not stop Drake sooner.”

Tim’s eye twitched.

It was fine when the jabs were quiet. It was fine when Damian insulted him in private like this. Tim had already learned that Damian’s words didn’t matter, because even if they were true, he still had friends who would fight for him in a heartbeat. But here was Damian, voicing everything to the table.

“Tim,” here it was. Tim slowly turned to face the stoic face of Bruce Wayne. “Is this true? Did Damian cut your line?”

Okay. Okay. He could handle this. He just needed to play it cool. Act like it was no big deal. He could do that.

“What line?”

_Not that cool!_

Several different emotions passed Bruce’s face at once, and even Alfred looked gravely disturbed from where he stood beside Bruce. Tim honestly wanted to dig his grave in that moment.

Then his phone rang.

“Hold on, it’s Lucius,” Tim raised a hand and put the phone to his ear. “Hey, Lucius, what…”

There was a pause where everyone stared at Tim. If there was any way to describe Tim’s face, the best description was the five stages of grief. Which Tim’s face went through in the matter of twenty five seconds.

“I…no, I’ll be there in a moment,” Tim sighed. “I’m in town anyways. Just…give me seven minutes. Tell them no decision will be reached until I get there, and if either protest, I’ll scrap the project all together and give it to someone else. Yes. Yes. Alright. Be there soon.”

Tim hung up and glanced back to the family.

“I really, really have to go,” Tim stood up. “Thanks for dinner, Alfred. I’ll help with clean-up next time.”

“Timmy!” Dick called out. “We need to talk about this?”

“I really don’t have time,” Tim shook his head. “Besides, that was years ago. Nothing happened. Right now, I need to go make sure Mr. Carlyle and Mr. Gerald don’t start a fight over plans for the new clean-energy generator. I knew it would be a bad idea to put them on a team together, but I didn’t listen to myself.”

And before anyone could say anything else, Tim was gone.

“Damian,” Dick was the first to speak up. “When… _exactly_ did you cut Tim’s line?”

“Tt. Did he not tell you? I thought he would have complained to you like the sniveling brat he is. I cut Drake’s line the night you found as fighting outside the theater in Crime Alley.”

Damian, who had been entirely nonchalant, finally realized that something was wrong as Dick grew suddenly pale. He glanced around the table to see the horrified, angry, or terrified faces of his family staring back at him.

“Is there a problem?” Damian turned to his father, who seemed to have closed off. “I assumed it was a natural thing to isolate Drake or cause him harm. Richard had no problem kicking him out when I became Robin.”

“I didn’t-!” Dick shut his mouth, looking truly frustrated and horrified all at once. “How long have you been doing this, Damian?”

“I have only cut his line the once.”

“He means how long have you been verbally abusing, Tim, brat?” Jason spat out. “How long have you been telling him we don’t care?”

“I haven’t told Drake anything that wasn’t true,” Damian stated flatly. “You had no qualm overworking him, though I still fail to see why his help is required. He’s a fool. You also continually missed several dates Drake considered important. Such as his birthday and adoption day. I assumed Drake was simply a tool to be used, and I placed that tool in his place as the rest of you have.”

Before anyone could say anything, the was a loud _slap._

No one had even seen Cass get up, but the slap had certainly jolted everyone.

“I will be excused,” Cass stated through clenched teeth.

“Yeah, no, I’m with Cass,” Jason stood up. “The food was wonderful, Alfie. I’ll be sure to help Tim with the dishes next time we’re here. I promised to go visit Lian, anyways.”

“I think I’m going to go, too,” Duke nodded, looking to Cass and Jason. “I’ll let you guys handle this.”

“Don’t count on it,” Jason snarked, but led Duke out with an arm wrapped around Cass’s shoulders. “This has been going on for years.”

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Damian huffed, regaining his bearings. “Drake is nothing. Simply Father’s pet. I may treat my Father’s things however I-”

“ENOUGH!”

Damian jolted, head whipping to his Father. Bruce’s body shook with absolute rage, a type he hadn’t truly felt since Jason’s murder. But just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Bruce found himself sagging.

“Enough, Damian. You’ve done enough damage. You’re benched and grounded until further notice.”

Damian wanted to protest, but then Dick stood up and left the room without a word. It was Dick’s face that made Damian freeze. A look of sheer broken-hopelessness on his face. That night, Damian sat in his room, Titus on his lap and Alfred the cat curled against his chest. He didn’t understand.

What had he done wrong?

\--------------------------------

“I thought he was just jealous.”

“So did I.”

The cave was silent, only Dick and Bruce present. Bruce had checked to make sure that each of his children were where they should be. Tim was still at WE, Jason was at a safe house, Cass and Duke were at Clocktower, probably telling Babs about what happened. Thankfully, Damian was still in his room.

“Two hundred and eighty-five distress signals blocked,” Bruce sighed out, exhaustion more than horrified. “Medical records tampered with. Tim’s _actual_ medical record states his spleen is missing.”

“What?”

“Torture. Missing spleen. He mentions almost being exposed to the Lazarus Pit.”

“And-”

“Damian didn’t even try to cover it up. He used his personal account to tamper with this information. If Tim had been severely injured at any point, and we didn’t know about his spleen, we might have killed him trying to save his life.”

“Do you really think Damian meant what he said?”

“Yes.”

There was a sound of distress from Dick. “This is all my fault.”

“No. This is our fault. We all did this. And we are all going to fix it.”

Bruce clicked a button as Tim began a conversation on the phone.

_“Cissie, you absolute angel, you are a life saver.”_

 _“Not sure what I did, but you’re welcome,”_ the voice of Cissie King-Jones answered. _“Work?”_

_“The business kind. I knew this project was going to be a nightmare, but if I have to sit through one more argument.”_

_“Why not just hire that new girl. Harper?”_

_“I offered, but she doesn’t have enough knowledge or skill to create something from scratch. And I’d need to hire someone new to get the project done. So I’m stuck with a bunch of idiots until this gets solved, and one of them is borderline racist.”_

_“Why not just hire one of our…special friends?_

_“I’ll give you three guesses and the first five don’t count,”_ Tim snarked _. “There are several people I would love to hire but that’s not going to happen. Enough about that, though. What do you need?”_

_“Guess who can visit this week?”_

_“It’s about time!”_

Bruce shut of the listening device. He didn’t need to hear anymore.

When Bruce had taken Tim in, not as Robin, but as Tim Drake, he had made a series of promises. He promised Tim would always have a safe, welcoming home. He promised there would always be someone there. He had promised that Tim would never be alone. He promised that Tim would be loved.

Those promises had been broken. Severely. It was a wonder Tim even came home of his own accord at all.

 _He doesn’t_ , his brain unhelpfully supplied. _He’s only here because you forced him to be._

Which was true, for Bruce’s own selfish reasons. He wanted to know his family, his children, were safe. But Tim wasn’t safe. He had been abused and manipulate ever since Damian had come to the Manor, and none of them had done anything to stop it. They assumed it was jealousy.

Recording after recording of Damian blatantly telling Tim how worthless he was were popping up. Bruce was going to force himself to listen to every last one. He had done this to his son. He had allowed this to happen to his son.

Something had to change, and Bruce knew just who to talk to.

“What do we do?”

“I need to go talk to someone,” Bruce supplied. “We need to fix this Dick, however we can.”

“And who are you going to talk to?”

“The same people I should have gone to the moment I took you in.”

It was long past time he paid Ma and Pa Kent a visit, anyways. When was the last time he stopped by? He regretted that this wasn’t for a social visit.

“Dick,” Bruce called to his oldest. “Damian isn’t solely your responsibility. I understand that things were messed up when this happened, and I don’t think Damian’s hatred of Tim is your fault. You did what you thought was right, and Damian made his own choices. So, don’t feel obligated to stay. Alfred has already agreed to keep a sharp eye on Damian. Go to the Titans, if you need. Spend time with your friends. I may not have always been the most understanding father, but I know that if anyone can make you see sense, can reach you and give you hope, its them.”

Dick clenched his fist. Roy and Lilith were dead. Wally was in prison for murder. But still…the offer was beyond tempting.

“Maybe I do need to get away for a bit.”

Jason had mentioned seeing Lian. He hadn’t seen the little girl since Kori and Donna helped Roy save her. That was his fault, really. Irey and Jai, too. When was the last time he visited? Maybe he’d go see Linda first.

Whatever this was, they’d figure it out. They had too.


	2. Chapter 2

Damian was still puzzling over everyone’s reaction the next morning when a knock came to the door. He was, to say the least, confused. Drake had always been an object of use, something exploited by everyone. Well, except for those Young Justice fools that Drake spent time with, and Brown seemed to generally care about Drake for whatever odd reason.

“Enter.”

Damian was expecting some sort of talk or scolding. Perhaps a few dramatic sighs here and there. It really all depended. What he did not expect was for Selina Kyle to enter the room.

“Mind if I sit?” she motioned to the bed.

“No.”

Alfred the Cat carefully picked his way over to Selina, calmly curling up in her lap. Last nights dinner had left Damian on edge, but Selina seemed unbothered. Then again, Selina hadn’t been there last night.

“I’ll be honest with you, Damian, I am not going to be a great parent,” and wasn’t that an odd statement to begin with. “But seeing as your mother sees nothing wrong in your actions, and your father is an emotionally constipated brick wall, someone needs to take the gentler approach and explain.”

Damian wasn’t sure what to say to that, but he was desperate to know what he had done wrong. He quickly positioned himself so he could listen and understand. Selina was good at that. She had always been kind and gentle. First when she claimed she had no plans to have a child, and again when she informed Damian she was pregnant and asked him to help her raise her child. She had a way of making Damian understand.

“I’ve known Tim since he first became Robin,” Selina began, making sure she held eye contact with Damian, watching his expression for any confusion. “When Tim first joined your father in his crusade, it was because Tim was clever and he realized your father would die if he continued to fight alone. There were several times when even I wasn’t enough to pull your father out of his head. But because your father never wanted a Robin after Jason, so he tried to keep Tim at arms length.”

“Yes, I was aware of that.”

“I know,” Selina hummed, still gentle. Still understanding. “But the way your father treated Tim wasn’t right. You were correct in claiming that Tim was like an object. Though never physical, your Father had a way of lashing out at Tim, piling work on him, trying to manipulate him so that he wouldn’t get killed. Tim took it all because his parents weren’t around to teach Tim what love truly was, so he took what he could get. It wasn’t until Tim teamed up with Kon-El and Impulse that he truly understood what Bruce was doing, and Bruce realized what he was doing eventually. It took time, but your father got better.”

“I…see…”

“It’s alright,” Selina gave him a warm smile. “You don’t see it yet, but there’s a bit more.”

Damian nodded, prompting Selina to continue.

“When Jason nearly killed Tim, it was the first time Bruce realized that, even with living parents, Tim was his son. When Jack Drake forced Tim to retire, you’ll recall your father manipulated Stephanie to be Robin to lure Tim back. Eventually, Tim came back on his own. Your father…to put it simply, has attachment issues. He fears any of you leaving, which is why he hates when Dick goes to Blüdhaven. That’s why he’s always so furious with Jason because he can never find the words to say to bring his son home. And when you died, he nearly gave up his own life to bring you back.”

Damian nodded. He remembered quite well.

“Now, I think we both know part of your hatred for Tim is jealousy,” Selina gave a giggle as Damian squawked in protest. “Your jealous of your father’s attention.”

Damian huffed, but couldn’t deny it. He was jealous of his Drake. Father always seemed to coddle him. It made Damian feel good when Drake was talked down too, and he had picked up the habit. It wasn’t entirely why he hated Drake, but it was a rough scratch at the surface.

“What if I told you that your father’s attention was his way of making up for the abuse he gave out,” Selina lifted Damian’s chin. “In a sense, the affection and attention could be borderline manipulative.”

“What?”

“Of all of you kids, Tim has always been the one Bruce could reach out to the easiest. Tim craves that affection and love, Damian. He doesn’t have a negative response to it like the rest of you. Sure, your father will never be comfortable with an outright hug without prompting, but its _easy_ to give Tim a hug.”

“I…don’t understand?”

“I know,” Selina assured. “Let me explain. When Dick hugs, he expects a certain amount of reciprocation, doesn’t he? He wants your body and soul to both be in that hug, almost like a blanket. Bruce isn’t comfortable with that much affection, as we both know. Cass, though more understanding, also craves physical affection, and she often goes to Babs or Steph for hugs. Jason, on the other hand, won’t accept a hug without fearing it to be a threat, which is both their fault. And as for you, you were taught physical affection was negative, right?”

Damian nodded. It was negative, or so his teachers claimed. That didn’t stop him from craving it.

“Tim, however, doesn’t know what to expect from physical affection, so Bruce finds him the easiest to bring home. Bruce gives his attention to Tim because Tim has no expectations.”

Damian could understand that. Tim did have a certain way of accepting what was given.

“But we both know that your father’s attention and jealousy isn’t the only reason you hate Tim.”

No. It really wasn’t.

\-----------------------------

Dick called Linda in advance, well aware that her voice broke through the conversation. Linda Park West was clever. Smarter than most gave her credit for. So, when Dick showed up that morning, Linda greeted him at the door and instantly led him into the awaiting embrace of Wally West.

“House arrest,” Wally explained. “Well, more like town arrest. Bats hired me a shrink, a real one, and they gave me a diagnosis. Said I needed to be home. Around family and friends.”

“I had no idea-”

“I know,” Wally’s smile became sheepish. “It hasn’t been that long since you got your memories back, Dick. I asked Bats to wait till you were recovered enough.”

Of course Bruce knew. Of course Bruce recommended going to see the Titans knowing he would go to Linda at some point if not first. Bruce planned this. Dick was too relieved to really care.

“What’s going on, Dick?”

Dick sucked in a breath. “You know how…Damian and Tim never really got along?”

“Yeah. It was kind of obvious.”

“Was it obvious that Damian wanted Tim dead, too?”

Wally was silent for a moment. It wasn’t a good silence. More like trying to contemplate what to say. That was all the answer Dick needed.

“I’m an idiot.”

“Dick-”

“No, I am!” Dick shook his head. “I-I thought Damian was just jealous. Or-or that Damian was just trying to make himself feel better. I didn’t realize that Damian was-that Damian was…”

“Dick,” Wally suddenly reached forward, gripping Dick’s shoulders. “What happened?”

Dick sucked in a breath and poured out the conversation from the night before. Every detail. Every facial expression. Every reaction. His training had kicked in last night, dictating that Dick remember _everything_ that happened at dinner. Wally listened, hand never leaving Dick’s shoulder, grounding him in the moment.

By the end, Dick was a sobbing mess. A failure.

“Dick, look at me,” Wally prompted. “None of this is your fault.”

“But-”

“No. This _isn’t_ your fault,” Wally pressed. “Did you mind wipe Damian to hate Tim?”

“NO!”

“Did you force Damian and Tim to battle to the death?”

“What? No! Why would I-?”

“Did you do everything in your power to make Damian hate Tim?”

“I would never-!”

“Then how is it your fault?”

Dick snapped his jaw shut, eyes wide.

“Dick, we’ve been friends since we were kids,” Wally pressed, desperate for the other man to understand. “You take the blame for things that are out of your control. For whatever reason Damian hates Tim, that isn’t your fault. Sure, maybe there were instance where you could have handled things better, but you’re not some all-powerful god. You’re a person, and you were doing what you believed to be right. Damian _has_ gotten better, Dick. Whatever this thing is with Tim, its not your fault.”

Dick clenched his eyes shut. He wanted to believe Wally. But…but…

“Come on,” Wally nudged Dick up. “We’re having company.”

A distraction. Dick needed a distraction. Needed to forget this.

He’d come back to it later.

\-------------------------

When Tim Drake woke up that morning, it was to the knowledge that the previous day had _sucked._ Majorly. Not only had he sat through meetings all day, but he was held back after his business hours because the two people assigned to work on the new clean-energy generator decided they didn’t like each other. Tim had threatened them both with either being fired or being demoted if they didn’t get over themselves. And this was after three and a half hours of sitting in his office, listening to the rave about ‘he did this’ or ‘he did that’.

So when Lucius sent him a text saying he would take care of the situation and told Tim it was _required_ that he take the week off. Well…Tim was more than glad to get a call from an old friend.

Tim hadn’t seen Cissie King-Jones in what felt like years. Of course, he saw her at the odd Gala, or sometimes at social events, but the world didn’t know that Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne was friends with Suzanne King-Jones, young Olympic Archer. As he happened to know her schedule was cleared, they agreed to hang out for the week.

But Cissie wasn’t supposed to be there for another couple hours at the latest, thirty minutes at the most, and the smell of pancakes was already wafting through the house.

“Too early,” Tim groaned.

“Not early,” came the voice of his sister somewhere above him. “Nearly noon.”

“See. Early,” Tim gestured to his phone. He never cared for alarm clocks. “I sleep.”

“Then I eat all Jason’s bacon.”

Tim sat up. Of _course_ the house smelled like pancakes. They were Jason’s pancakes. Jason made the best pancakes, and they always smelled like vanilla. That must have been why Tim wasn’t at all alarmed by the smell of pancakes. His half-asleep brain recognized something safe.

It wasn’t until Tim actually looked at his phone that he recalled what happened _before_ the two men called him back to the office. Because of course he hadn’t been at the office all day. He’d gone to family dinner where Damian had revealed the one secret that Tim had been trying to spare the family of.

Damian was getting _better_. Tim would be the first to admit that. But Damian absolutely _loathed_ Tim for several reasons. It had never been simple jealousy, but Tim had played it off as such. So long as Damian kept his hatred and rage solely directed at Tim, then Damian was fine. He still had more to learn, and he needed the family to help him do that. So, yes, Tim sacrificed his life on a daily basis by letting himself be in Damian’s presence. It was _normal_. But Tim knew that if Bruce, Dick, or even Alfred learned what Damian was doing to Tim, it would set that progress back by decades.

Damian had just ruined his own life without even realizing it.

“I hate my life,” Tim groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“No negativity in this house!” Jason called from the main area of the apartment.

“It’s my house!” Tim shot back. “So it’s my rules!”

“Big siblings trump,” Cass gently flicked Tim’s forehead. “No negativity.”

Tim pouted but said nothing more, much to Cass’s amusement. At least one of them was getting a kick out of the events of the day prior. Tim just wanted the sheets to come alive and strangle him.

He supposed that counted as negativity.

“We have…company,” Cass grinned brightly at Tim. “They wanted to say hello.”

“They?”

Tim had barely gotten the word out when his ‘guests’ took that as their cue, and Tim found himself talked by a zip of lightning and messy brown hair. He let out a laugh as Bart purposefully dug his fingers into Tim’s side, reminding the room just how ticklish Tim was. Kon suddenly lunged on the bed, shoving Bart just a little so he could snuggle into Tim’s side. Cassie was hovering by Cass, giggling.

“Dude! Yourbrothermakesthebestpancakes!”

Tim’s grin grew wider. “I know, right! You better not eat them all!”

“Don’t worry, Timbit, we saved some for you,” Jason appeared in the doorway with a plate of the thing Tim craved most at the moment. With a side of bacon of course. “You need a little extra meat on your bones.”

The moment Tim had his breakfast safely in front of him, he whacked Jason with a pillow.

He’d keep his friends here for now, and surprise them with Cissie later. Maybe he’d call Greta too. With his friends and his two favorite siblings here, Tim was willing to think this might not be a bad day. Maybe he’d even have a good week.

That was wishful thinking.

His thoughts, however, were interrupted as a knock came to the door. Tim paused, one bite of pancake already in his mouth and a second waiting to join it. Jason was frowning at the door, but Tim shook his head to stop his older brother from doing anything rash. Especially as Tim knew who the guest was.

“Cassie, could you get that? It’s a friend,” Tim called. “Bart, the blankets are in the hall closet.”

His speedster friend raced off as Cassie made for the door. The shriek of delight that came when Cassie opened the door was enough to give Pterodactyls a run for their money. Tim had the decency to cover Kon’s ears when he sent Cassie to the door so the shriek, nor the squeals that followed, wouldn’t rupture his friend’s ear drums.

“Cissie!” Bart cried and zipped to the two girls, pulling them into a hug, blanket fort already half done. Kon quickly followed suit. “Ididn’tknowyouwerecoming!”

“Of course not!” Cissie rolled her eyes. “That would defeat the surprise!”

“Wait,” Kon pulled away. “Did Tim know?”

“Uh, yeah,” Tim deadpanned. “She had to make sure I was home.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Bart cried out, mocking being stabbed. “Such betrayal!”

“Does the word ‘surprise’ mean nothing to you?” Tim teased.

As the group migrated further into Tim’s apartment, moving to the blanket fort Bart had been throwing together, Tim let himself relax. It was amazing to be here with his favorite people. Jason was placing down nachos, Cass was trying to make the fort bigger with Bart. Cassie and Cissie were trying to organize the pillows. And Kon was trying to find that Sherlock Holmes TV show they all liked.

These were the moments that reminded Tim he wasn’t some object to be used or manipulated. That he had a life worth living. Damian could drag him all he wanted because there were people out there who loved Tim for himself, and they were all gathered right here.

Well…almost all of them. He was still trying to figure out how to get Greta to visit, but she was currently in school. That kind of put a damper on things. Jury was still out on the Titans, though he wasn’t going to push it. He was pretty sure M’gann liked him. And Gar liked everyone. Maybe Raven. But that was neither here nor there. And of course he knew Bruce loved him. It had been rocky in the start, but Bruce had his ways of proving he loved Tim, albeit awkwardly. Dick, of course, loved Tim too. Things had been bad between them, but neither Tim nor Dick had been in the right headspace when Damian became Robin. Plus Steph was practically the love of his life, but she was doing an undercover case with Harper and Kate.

Tim knew he was loved regardless of the past. Family wasn’t perfect, but at least his family tried. Now he just had to come up with a plan to prove to the others that Damian really was making progress.

“Tim! Get over here!”

Tim turned just in time to get a pillow to the face as Cass giggled. Cissie showed no remorse to having thrown the pillow as Tim threw it right back.

Damian could wait. He had friends to hang out with.

\-------------------------------

“Oh, Bruce! What a pleasant surprise!”

Bruce gave Ma Kent a warm smile, but he could tell it was strained. A concerned expression crossed over Ma Kent’s face and she quickly guided Bruce inside. The house felt warm, smelled of fresh baked goods, and gave off an aura of calm welcomeness that Bruce needed in that moment.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“I should have done this years ago,” Bruce breathed out. “I’m not even sure if I can fix this, Mrs. Kent-”

“You need advice,” Ma Kent cut him off with a gentle smile. “Why don’t I get us some tea and snacks while you gather your bearings. Then we’ll discuss whatever it is you need.”

Bruce nodded, letting himself sag into the warmth of the house. He just hoped it wasn’t too late. He knew he was a terrible father, but if there was even a chance he could fix things, he was going to take it. Even if that meant he never got to hold any of his children again, he would take whatever he could get.

“Here we are,” Ma Kent set down some tea and tarts. “Lucky for you, I already had some tea brewing. And these tarts are fresh. Now, what seems to be troubling you, Bruce?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the request of many of you lovely readers, there is now a Part 2.
> 
> Due to several conversations in the comments, I have opted to write several parts as I felt two parts did not cover everything that needed to be covered. I'm leaving it at 4 parts for now, because I can already tell there won't be a way to cover everything in the third part, and it may even go beyond 4 parts. Still, I hope you all enjoy this second part!!!
> 
> We'll see where my thoughts (and your comments) take this story next!!!


	3. Chapter 3

After their conversation, Selina had taken Damian to the pet shop. They weren’t there to get an animal, bit Selina had dropped off a few kittens she had found the previous night that had lost their mother, and she wanted to check on them. Damian found he couldn’t focus on the animals as well as he normally would.

_“Would you like to walk me through it?”_

_“I was…” Damian hadn’t been sure where to start, but he knew it was necessary. “Grandfather taught me that Drake was the enemy. My whole life, he held Drake’s skills over my head. He taught me that Drake was the enemy and I would only be worthy of my inheritance when I disposed of him. Mother helped. She taught me that father would only accept me once Drake was gone.”_

_“And does your father know that?”_

_Damian hadn’t said anything, answer enough for them both. It was…difficult to break conditioning. Damian knew that. Had been taught in the ways of conditioning and manipulation, but that did not mean he had recognized his thoughts for Tim right away. The first time he realized what happened had been when he joined the Titans. Damian had tried everything in his power to make the others hate Tim, but his attempts fell flat. It had been so much easier with the Bats…_

And that was part of the problem that led to the realization of what his grandfather and mother had done. Because Damian had done the same. He had used his grandfather’s own tactics on his Father and his father’s orphans to make them forget Drake. It had been easy, really, easier than it should have been. But Damian had an advantage. Richard had been compromised by the loss of their father, as was Pennyworth. Todd had been unstable, but Damian hadn’t thought he needed to do much. Father had been recovering from being lost in time and then trying to start the Batman Incorporated movement. Cain was never around, and Thomas hardly had much interaction with Drake for him to care. Gordon was in her own world.

It was easy. Too easy.

“I don’t think she’ll make it,” Selina stated, snapping Damian from his thoughts as she placed a soft _too-small_ bundle in his hand. Hand. Singular. “She’s too weak. Poor little dear.”

Damian’s eyes glanced down to the little calico cat. The only calico from the litter. She was too small for the average cat, and she wasn’t breathing. Damian felt his heart pang as he quickly got to work. Given his freedom with his father, Damian had learned to care for animals. They were better than people sometimes, and they deserved care.

It didn’t take long for his work to result in the a little mew of air from the kitten.

“Would you like to take care of her,” one of the shop owners came over. “We don’t have enough staff to keep a constant eye on her, and you look like a responsible young man.”

Damian felt his throat constrict as he looked at the little kitten in his hands. She was using her paws to search his hands, eyes unable to open just yet. Her mews were loud for a kitten that had just hung on the brink of death.

“Yes,” Damian agreed. “I’ll take care of her.”

The woman smiled at Damian and went to another group of cats that needed to be fed.

“I’ll convince your father, don’t worry,” Selina told him gently as the kitten continued to mew. “What are you going to name her?”

And wasn’t that the question. Damian would need to think about that. All of his pets were named for a reason. Titus, strong and powerful. Batcow after his father. Goliath after the giant in legend. Alfred after a man Damian had come to admire. So what would he name this little girl?

Time passed, and Damian found Alfred Pennyworth there to pick them up. Alfred had since kept his thoughts to himself, but Damian knew the butler was struggling with the revelation the night before.

“I see you made a friend, Master Damian,” Alfred said, voice lacking its usual cheer that Damian had always loved to hear.

“She was dying,” Damian said, still staring down at the little kitten. “I couldn’t leave her.”

She was so small and yet so brave. Damian had already had to stop her from crawling off his hand. An odd ball in her own family, cast out by her own.

“Timmy,” Damian decided, startling both Selina and Pennyworth. “I’ll name her Timmy.”

The smile Selina gave him meant more than he’d ever admit to anyone.

\--------------------------------

The story was laid bare for Martha and Jonathan Kent. Bruce had confessed every flaw, every doubt, everything he had done. He started with Dick, keeping him away and at a distance, and it resulting in the occasional physical blow when they fought. He moved to Jason and being unable to bring him back, that frustration being taken out on his son. Then Cass, he spoke of not understanding and being unable to help. Duke he felt was a similar situation to Dick, and he walked on eggshells rather than get involved. Then he spoke of Damian, and how he felt as if he stopped parenting. Then Tim. He ended with Tim. With the pain and failure he caused Tim.

His tea was cold, and he forced himself to drink it as he waited for Martha or Jonathan to say something. Anything.

“Jonathan, dear, do you remember that time Clark first got his x-ray vision?” Martha asked, surprising Bruce. “Poor boy. We had him wear layers of blindfolds.”

“Hmm, I remember,” Jonathan agreed. “Though that incident with the heat vision was worse. We put that metal over those sunglasses until he it got to be too much.”

“And the strength, John. That was terrible,” Martha stated, gripping her husbands hand. “We put him through that terrible training regimen to make him learn to do things normally.”

Bruce…wasn’t sure where this was going.

“Oh dear,” Martha sighed, reaching out to grasp Bruce’s hand. “Believe us, Bruce, we’re honored you think so highly of us, but when it came to raising a child with powers, we weren’t exactly the best parents around.”

“The truth is, we were terrible at it,” Jonathan chuckled. “There were times when we thought for sure Clark had to hate us for what we made him go through. You might not believe it, but Clark wanted to do sports as a kid, and we forced him to stay away from them. He wasn’t always the happy-go-lucky hero he is now, and part of that was our fault.”

“Now don’t get us wrong, Bruce, there are things we will be discussing. Hitting your children is never alright, unless it’s a spanking, and I’ve been told even that is up for debate. But you came to us thinking we’d have all the answers, and the truth is, we don’t.”

Bruce glanced between Martha and Jonathan. The way Clark always talked about them, they seemed to be the picture-perfect family, even with an alien son. Bruce had always admired them. Had wondered what he would be like had his parents survived. He liked to picture them like Martha and Jonathan.

“That being said,” Jonathan placed a hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “We are going to help you walk through ways to be better. Part of parenting is admitting that mistakes have been made and finding ways to fix them, and if that means going to your parents for advice, there is no harm in that. So we’re honored you chose to come to us. And we’ll help you however we can.”

Bruce nodded slowly. He wasn’t sure what to say, but he knew it needed to be done. Knew he needed help. He had failed his children far too many time. Even failed those that weren’t technically his.

His children deserved better, and selfishly, Bruce wanted them to stay. If that meant he had to become better, then so be it.

“Now then,” Martha began, a tight steel to her voice that made Bruce shiver. “The first thing we need to discuss is your temper, young man. As we said, treating your children like punching bags should _never_ be an outlet.”

Bruce swallowed. He had a sickening feeling this wasn’t going to be pleasant.

\---------------------------------

Alfred, of course, had listened and recorded the conversation between Master Damian and Ms. Kyle. He had to admit that the conversation had done wonders for the boy, but the revelations that came forth felt heavy on Alfred’s conscious. Master Bruce would need to hear the conversation, of course. And Master Dick would find some relief in knowing that the events weren’t his fault.

_Conditioned. Manipulated._

They should have seen it. Truly. It should have been obvious that something was off about the youngest son of his charge. But Alfred had allowed himself to be blinded. And in the process, Alfred had lost a grandson.

He had not wanted to see the banter between Master Tim and Master Damian as anything more than just simple jealousy, and the price was too high.

“This isn’t your fault,” Dinah placed a hand on Alfred’s shoulder. “None of this was your fault, Alfred.”

“Perhaps not,” Alfred agreed. “But it is my fault that Master Tim felt alone in enduring such harsh abuse. It is my fault that Master Tim now feels unsafe in a place that should have been his home. Not one of us was on his side.”

As a general rule, Miss Gordon and her birds did not normally get involved with the drama of the Bats. But given that both Master Duke and Mistress Cassandra had turned up at Clocktower beyond distressed, Alfred was grateful that she had sent Miss Dinah to have a talk with them. It was high time the Bats got the help they needed. Alfred included.

“You’re right, Tim was treated unfairly,” Dinah agreed, and it was both cutting and a relief to hear someone else agree. “But you and I both know that Tim is far too forgiving for his own good.”

Yes. Yes he was. Master Tim had the kindest heart of all the Bats, and the most forgiving. However, Tim did not forget. That could be seen by Master Tim’s strained relationship with Master Dick. The two got on, of course, but there was still an underline of distrust that stemmed from Master Dick taking Robin away from Master Tim without asking. And given that the title was given to Master Damian, the distrust suddenly made far more sense.

Alfred knew that there would forever be a strain on his relationship with Master Tim because of this. And that strain would hurt more than Master Tim actually leaving them behind.

“I am unsure how to go forward,” Alfred confessed.

“I don’t think anyone really knows how to move forward,” Dinah’s words brought little comfort, but that comfort was still appreciated. “The only thing was can really do is learn from our mistakes and try to get better. It won’t be easy, but nothing that’s worth the effort ever is. So you need to ask yourself; do you want Tim to come home?”

There wasn’t even a competition in his mind.

“Yes.”

“Then fight for him, Alfred. Fight to prove that you love your grandson and you are there for him. Fight to bring him home.”

\------------------------------

Sometime during their TV marathon, Cissie had taken to playing with Tim’s hair. This had lulled Tim to sleep within the hour, and soon Bart had joined his best friend, tucked against his side. Kon was still watching the shows with a vigor, but Cassie had drifted off on Kon’s shoulder, one hand laced with Tim’s. Cass had taken to braid Cissie’s hair as she watched, and Jason found himself distracted just watching his brother.

Contrary to popular belief, Tim could take care of himself. Exceptionally well. He knew when he needed to get sleep, and could relatively keep a good sleep schedule. His caffeine intake wasn’t as terrifying as people assumed, he just preferred coffee rather than tea. He took care of his lack of spleen with the expertise of an actual Doctor.

The thing was, Tim should not _have to_ take care of himself alone.

Cass threw a piece of popcorn at his head.

“Hey,” Jason hissed playful, chucking the piece back. “Rude.”

“Thinking too hard,” Cass stuck her tongue out at him. “Brother is…not fine…but okay.”

“He shouldn’t be.”

Kon made a grunt of agreement, carefully reaching up to brush hair from Cassie’s face and allowing his hand to rest where Cassie’s and Tim’s were laced. Cissie’s hand still hadn’t stopped brushing through Tim’s hair, either.

No, Tim wasn’t fine, but he was okay. And seeing the friends he surrounded himself with, Jason could see why. They hadn’t been swayed when Damian joined the Titans. They stayed strong friends, supporting their friends and forgiving mistakes. Properly. Not just dismissing the issue. He still remembered when Tim called him stunned by Cassie’s apology about not believing him.

“He admires you,” Cissie hummed, not quite looking at Jason, but clearly meant to get his attention. “Always has. You were his Robin.”

“That’s what he said,” Jason huffed a laugh. “Kid deserves to have a better role model.”

“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?”

Jason wasn’t sure what to say as Cissie smiled at him. But he looked back to his baby brother, noting how at ease Tim was. Even knowing Jason had tried to kill him, Tim didn’t see Jason as a threat.

Kid was too forgiving for his own good.

\----------------------

It was late. Dick was still with Wally, Damian was with Selina and Alfred, and Tim was in the company of Jason and Cass. He was well aware that there were others helping with the situation, but he knew none of those people would harm his family.

It had been a long day. Getting grilled by the Kents and talking through flaws. Bruce had never been so mentally and emotionally exhausted before. Not since…not since he lost Jason….and Damian…and Tim…and when he nearly lost Dick…

“Heard you had a long day.”

Bruce let out a breath, not bothering to put up a mask. Not with Clark. Clark had known him long enough to know that this had shaken Bruce in a way nothing but his children’s deaths had ever done before.

“Long. But necessary.”

Clark appeared at Bruce’s side, leaning against the railing as they both took a moment to take a breath of the fresh air. In fact, it felt like the first time Bruce had actually breathed since last night.

“I won’t tell you that what happened wasn’t your fault,” Clark began, neither daring to face the other. “And while I do think you contributed to the problem; I don’t think you did entirely wrong by Damian.”

Bruce said nothing.

“We can both admit that when Jon and Damian first met it was…less than ideal,” Clark gave a nervous, dry chuckle at the memory. “But he’s learned. He still hasn’t quite figured out how to react like the average person, but Jon trusts him, and I’d like to think that trust goes both ways.”

“It does,” Bruce agreed. “He’s very fond of Jon.”

“He’s not as murder-y as he used to be either.”

“That’s not even a word.”

Clark laughed. “You shouldn’t beat yourself up about this, Bruce,” and there was the speech Bruce had been expecting. “There have been times when you’ve done wrong by your kids, I’ll admit. But you’re _not_ a terrible father, Bruce. If I thought for one second that those kids would be in danger with you, I’d have taken them away without a second thought. And do you honestly believe the Titans and Young Justice wouldn’t have interfered either. The Outlaws? Damian’s friends?”

No. There wasn’t a doubt in Bruce’s mind that they wouldn’t have reacted. After all, they had worked to keep Damian from killing Tim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE BIG REVEAL AS TO WHY DAMIAN HATES TIM!!!! Bet you didn't see that coming!
> 
> Still in debate whether or not I'm going to do more than four chapters. But we'll see.
> 
> It'll be a bit before I post the fourth chapter, so hold on to your hats.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This....didn't go where I thought it would.

Dick woke up to Irey and Jai grinning at him. The following day had been amazing, really. Dick wasn’t sure when the last time he had a get-together with his friends. He had tried to pretend that everything was alright, but Kori had pulled him into a hug and he had completely broken down. It had done wonders. He talked, released his stress and pain, and they listened.

Then they talked through everything. What Dick’s actual faults were. What Dick had done well. What he could do better. Dick hadn’t realized how desperately he needed that conversation.

“Come on, Uncle Wing!” Irey and Jai both tugged him out of bed. “Mom’s making waffles!”

Dick gave the twins a sleepy grin. “Can’t miss that, now can we?”

The twins giggled and zipped back downstairs. Glancing around the room, Dick realized he was the last one awake. The Titans had all opted to take the guest room, claiming they would make it a challenge to see how many people they could fit in one room. The original idea had been to see how many people they could fit on one bed, but the bed had proven to be old, and no one wanted to break it. So they improvised.

“Oh, good, they did get you up,” Wally appeared in the doorway. “I was afraid they gave up in favor of waffles.”

Dick just chuckled with a fond shake of his head. He’d need to go back to the Manor, today. There was no telling how long Bruce would be with the Kents, and Alfred, though a wonderful grandfather, would need a break eventually. There was no telling how Damian had reacted.

“You’re thinking to hard, again,” Wally jabbed Dick in the side. “You need to get ahold of yourself, Dick. Remember what we talked about.”

Dick huffed, but it was a find sound. He could imagine Roy and Lilith here too, scolding him for dumb actions. Roy with the promise that he could still get better.

“Has anyone seen Lian in a while?” Dick turned to his best friend. “I-I realized I haven’t talked to her in a while.”

“Yeah, Oliver and Dinah got custody,” Wally nodded in thought. “Dinah brought Lian over when I was placed on house arrest. I think Lian might be in Gotham right now. Dinah was there doing something for Barbara, and Oliver had training with Emiko, so I assume she’s with Dinah.”

Ah. That made sense, just as Jason’s statement about going to see Lian also clicked into place. He wondered where Jason was now. Had he fled Gotham, stayed in his safe house, or had he gone to Tim? He knew the Young Justice had gone to Tim from Gar, but he was still unsure about Jason. He found it hard to believe that Cass hadn’t gone to Tim. Tim was her best male friend, and her closest brother. The slap she had given Damian spoke volume, more than words ever could.

“Come on,” Wally nudged Dick towards the door. “Waffles. Then we’ll get you home.”

Dick could agree to that.

\----------------------------

Dinah sat across from Damian, processing what Damian had confessed. The new kitten, Timmy, was fast asleep in Damian’s palm, wrapped in a cloth he was using as a blanket. She was doing her best to keep her anger in check as Damian sat in silence.

_How can there be people in the world that could be so evil as to manipulate a child to hate his own brother?_

“I am…unsure of how to fight what I have been taught,” Damian continued bitterly. “I do not want to hate Timothy, and I realize that my way of thinking was wrong. But part of me still believes what I said to be true.”

“Manipulation is hard to overcome, Damian,” Dinah told him as gently as she could with her fury at Talia and Ra’s coursing through her. “The fact that you _want_ to fix your thought process is already enough of a start. And you won’t be alone.”

Damian nodded, gaze still on the kitten he had named after a brother he was taught to hate. It was a step in the right direction, and Damian had already proven more than once that he could overcome the training his grandfather and mother had instilled in him. Still, this would be the hardest case yet. His hatred of Tim was supposed to lead to the older’s murder at the hands of the younger.

“I…do not want Drake to be kicked out of the Manor,” Damian said, though it felt forced, like he was trying to make himself believe that. “I understand that Drake has a family here. That I took that away. But I am unsure what will happen if Drake is placed in front of me.”

Dinah could understand that. She knew Barbara had a similar thought process on the matter at hand. She was currently trying to come up with a way to keep the Bats in access of Tim, but at the same time, give Damian a way to accept that Tim was part of the family. She had to clear it with the Young Justice and the Titans, but the plan might just work.

“It will take time, I understand,” Dinah hummed. “And I promise you, Damian, we are going to help you. Okay?”

Damian seemed so relieved at those words. He didn’t show it in his expression. No, he was too much like his father for that. But the care for which he gave to the kitten was enough of a picture for Dinah to read. All it took was the action of Damian reaching up to scratch the kitten’s head for Dinah to realize just how relieved Damian really was.

Damian was only thirteen years old, and already he was dealing with life shattering realizations. He had already come a long way since he was first brought to Bruce’s doorstep, and Dinah was proud of the person he was becoming. He just wasn’t there quite yet.

The important thing was hope. There was hope that Damian would overcome this and get to know Tim. The real Tim. Not the one Ra’s painted a picture of.

\-------------------------

Bruce got back around lunch, having offered to help in the morning on the farmer to clear his thoughts. It had done wonders. However, that did not mean he was prepared when Alfred dragged him to the cave to show him the conversation he recorded between Selina and Damian. Nor was he prepared when Dinah came downstairs with Damian to discuss some changes. She had apparently already talked to Dick, who had gotten back after breakfast. By the time dinner rolled around, Bruce was completely panicking again. Internally, of course, but still panicking.

_Cass: He’s sleeping_

Attached to the message was an image of Cissie King-Jones leaning into Cass on the couch, her hair expertly braided in a style Cass was fond of. Cass was grinning, as Cissie slept. Leaning against Cissie’s thigh in an impressive blanket fort was Tim, also fast asleep. Bart was curled into his son’s side, and while Cassie wasn’t leaning into Tim’s side, their legs were tangled, and their hands were locked together. Kon seemed to be watching something off screen with a sleepy intensity. Cassie’s head was on his shoulder as she slept, and one of Kon’s hands was wrapped around the linked hands of Tim and Cassie.

Bruce let himself breathe again.

_Duke: Glad he’s okay_

_Babs: I’m saving this_

_Jay: Kids got nerves of steel and the self-preservation instincts of a lemming_

_Duke: Lemmings aren’t suicidal_

_Jay: What?_

_Duke: Disney faked it. They needed something interesting, so they forced a bunch of lemming to commit suicide_

_Jay: WELL FORGET YOU DISNEY_

Oh. Cass had posted this to the family group chat. The one where the kids frequently complained because Bruce would no longer let them change the names. It had gotten out of hand one too many times.

_Steph: Not that I don’t agree with Jason’s earlier statement, by why are we concerned about Tim again?_

_Jay: Not it!_

_Duke: Me either!_

_Babs: I nominate Cass_

_Cass: Steph. Come to Nest. Be quiet on entry. Bring pizza._

So no one had told Stephanie? That was a disaster waiting to happen.

The next image the family group chat received was a of Kon-El and Cassie trying to hold Steph back as Tim tried to placate his girlfriend, and Cass watched. The text was from Jason.

_Jay: She scares me sometimes._

\---------------------------------

Tim knew it was only a matter of time before the Bats came to confront him. He also knew that Dinah was involved, and that there was more to the thing with Damian than met the eye. Tim meant what he said when he claimed Damian was making progress.

So the Bats were a little stunned by Tim’s confession.

“I mean, cutting my line was the most daring way he tried to kill me,” Tim shrugged. “But he stopped _actively_ trying to kill me. The fact that Damian resulted to simple insults was…I won’t say okay…but definitely better.”

Bruce blinked in surprise. There were certainly other varied reactions from his family, but the very obvious blink from Bruce was enough.

“I planned on telling you at dinner,” Tim admitted. “But then I got the call from Lucius, and here we are. Damian _is_ getting better, especially considering the amount of manipulation Ra’s and Talia did with him.”

“You knew about it,” Jason concluded.

“I did infiltrate the League of Assassins,” Tim grinned, playing all innocent. “What else was I supposed to do when given access to all their information?”

Jason snorted a laugh.

“Ra’s wasn’t subtle about what he was doing with Damian, and he documented it,” Tim explained. “It wasn’t hard to understand why Damian hated me, but given my own psych during that time period, I didn’t really do anything with that knowledge. But I did eventually tell the Titans what I knew, and _they_ made an effort to deter Damian, because at that point, the feeling Damian felt was kind of neutral.”

“So, why act like nothing was wrong?” Dick questioned, and his poor older brother just looked so confused and helpless. “Why pretend this wasn’t happening?”

“I wasn’t,” Tim pointed out. “Like I said, the Titans started the ball rolling, but we’re talking years of manipulation since birth. It makes Jason’s Pit rage look like a joke. I strategically did my best to manipulate when Damian saw me, and with the Titans as an influence, we got to where we are now.”

Dick opened his mouth to say more, but Cass placed a hand on his shoulder, nodding to Tim to continue.

“As to why I never told the rest of you, well, there were a few reasons,” Tim admitted. “The first was, Damian was using his techniques on all of you as well. I found it odd that three people who promised to be there, and had lost just as much as I had, would suddenly abandon me, when Jason was still a strong influence in my life. Steph and I already had an off-and-on relationship going on, but she wasn’t as emotionally compromised as the rest of you when Bruce got lost in time. In fact, going to Africa and finding herself made her far more confident in herself and her feelings, so she was harder to manipulate.”

“And because the rest of them were emotionally compromised, they weren’t as difficult for the gremlin to manipulate,” Jason hummed. “Makes sense.”

“Right,” Tim nodded. “As for the next reason, Bruce, you’ve been wavering in Damian’s training for some time. There are moments when he lapses back into old habits, and there are times when he impresses you. I _knew_ that if you ever found out about the murder attempts, you would take it to mean you failed, and Damian _needs_ you to believe in him.”

Bruce looked like he wanted to say something, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

“The third reason is, yes, Damian’s jabs do hurt, but I can _trust_ Damian now,” Tim stressed, hoping for the family to see. “I won’t be telling him any secrets any time soon, and we’re a little far off from being friends, let alone brothers, but I can trust him in the field. Damian is efficient in the field. He may not _like_ when I give him orders, but he knows when what I’m saying is beneficial, and he offers a counter opinion when I need to hear it. However, learning that Damian cut my line meant that _you_ would question our field work, and while I could do without the insults, Damian doesn’t make a bad partner, and things do get done faster when we work together.”

Cass’ nod of agreement was enough for Tim, though Bruce seemed hesitant.

“I forgave Damian,” Tim continued. “I trust him to have my back in the field. I can’t say we’ll be friends or brothers, but I _can_ say that Damian is getting better, and I’m asking you all not to give up on Damian for my sake. Maybe he isn’t the best Robin, but he’ll be a great hero someday with the right guidance. Maybe better than you, Bruce.”

“Better than you?” Bruce cocked his head.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Tim grinned, sly and teasing. “I am a better detective than you, after all.”

Jason cackled wildly.


End file.
